Eddie Jones' bold prediction for England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup
Rugby NewsMonday, 16 January 2023 at 22:30
New Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has predicted an early Rugby World Cup exit for England and his successor Steve Borthwick in France later this year.
Taking over the reins from Dave Rennie, Jones will be in charge of the Wallabies for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
And a confident Jones believes he can guide Australia to their first World Cup triumph since 1999 when they beat France in the final.
"If we can have everyone fit and healthy going into the World Cup this year, I am confident that we can go to France and break the 24-year drought of winning the Rugby World Cup," he said
When asked if this means he'd expect to beat his old side, Jones replied: "Definitely, mate. You have to beat the best sides to win a Rugby World Cup."
If the pools work out as expected, that would see the Wallabies brush past England in the quarter-finals. .
The finals work the same way as the 2019 tournament with the first two teams in each pool progressing to the quarter-finals, which will be contested by knock-out matches.
If we suppose the top-ranked teams each win their pools and the second-ranked teams finish runners-up then the quarter-finals in 2023 could look something like this…
- Wales vs Japan
- South Africa vs France
- England vs Australia
- New Zealand vs Ireland
The 2023 tournament will take place between 8 September and 21 October 2023.
FULL 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP DRAW:
POOL A
- New Zealand
- France
- Italy
- Uruguay
- Namibia
POOL A FIXTURES:
- Sep 8: France vs New Zealand (Pool A) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Sep 9: Italy vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
- Sep 14: France vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
- Sep 15: New Zealand vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
- Sep 20: Italy vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade de Nice, Nice
- Sep 21: France vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
- Sep 27: Uruguay vs Namibia (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Sep 29: New Zealand vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Oct 5: New Zealand vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Oct 6: France vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
Antoine Dupont of France calls for the mark during the Six Nations Championship match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 13 2021. - PHOTO: Micah Crook/PPAUK
POOL B
- South Africa
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Tonga
- Romania
POOL B FIXTURES:
- Sep 9: Ireland vs Romania (Pool B) – Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
- Sep 10: South Africa vs Scotland (Pool B) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
- Sep 16: Ireland vs Tonga (Pool B) – Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
- Sep 17: South Africa vs Romania (Pool B) – Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
- Sep 23: South Africa vs Ireland (Pool B) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Sep 24: Scotland vs Tonga (Pool B) – Stade de Nice, Nice
- Sep 30: Scotland vs Romania (Pool B) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
- Oct 1: South Africa vs Asia / Pacific 1 (Pool B) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
- Oct 7: Ireland vs Scotland (Pool B) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Oct 8: Asia / Pacific 1 vs Romania (Pool B) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
POOL C
- Wales
- Australia
- Fiji
- Georgia
- Portugal
POOL C FIXTURES:
- Sep 9: Australia vs Georgia (Pool C) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Sep 10: Wales vs Fiji (Pool C) – Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
- Sep 16: Wales vs Portugal (Pool C) – Stade de Nice, Nice
- Sep 17: Australia vs Fiji (Pool C) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
- Sep 23: Georgia vs Portugal (Pool C) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
- Sep 24: Wales vs Australia (Pool C) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Sep 30: Fiji vs Georgia (Pool C) – Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
- Oct 1: Australia vs Portugal (Pool C) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
- Oct 7: Wales vs Europe 1 (Pool C) – Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
- Oct 8: Fiji vs Portugal (Pool C) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
POOL D
- England
- Japan
- Argentina
- Samoa
- Chile
POOL D FIXTURES:
- Sep 9: England vs Argentina (Pool D) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
- Sep 10: Japan vs Chile (Pool D) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
- Sep 16: Samoa vs Chile (Pool D) – Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
- Sep 17: England vs Japan (Pool D) – Stade de Nice, Nice
- Sep 22: Argentina vs Samoa (Pool D) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
- Sep 23: England vs Chile (Pool D) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
- Sep 28: Japan vs Samoa (Pool D) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
- Sep 30: Argentina vs Chile (Pool D) – Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
- Oct 7: England vs Samoa (Pool D) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
- Oct 8: Japan vs Argentina (Pool D) – Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Marcus Smith of England and Alex Dombrandt of England during the Autumn Nations Match between England and South Africa at Twickenham Stadium on 20 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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